THE program for the 28th Parkes Elvis Festival has been announced and it's certainly one fit for The King, featuring Elvis tribute competitions, kid's workshops, markets and more.
Returning from January 8- 12, the festival will see more than 27,000 people make the annual pilgrimage to Central NSW for the biggest tribute to The King in the southern hemisphere.
The program is filled to the brim with more than 200 unique Elvis-themed events, and features a slew of returning favourites including street parade, renewal of vows ceremony, Miss Priscilla dinner, Cooke Park main stage entertainment and Elvis Gospel Service.
Other highlights include:
- Feature Concert Series. Dean Z, named the 2013 Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist in Memphis, will perform each day with the TIC Band, recreating the performances that made Elvis a legend.
- Adam Harvey: Elvis Country Special. Australia's most decorated country artist will perform a tribute to Elvis's country music hits.
- ELVIS - A Legendary Performer starring Mark Anthony: Australia's leading Elvis tribute artist will present a dynamic show.
- Mark Andrew Legends Show, portraying Elvis, John Lennon, Tom Jones & Jim Morrison; Dean Vegas, a spectacular tribute to The King; In Dreams: Elvis and Roy Orbison, starring Paul Fenech and Aaron Mansfield; Hypnosis with Wayne Donnelly, a series of hysterical hypnosis routines with an Elvis twist.
- Workshops - Don your favourite Hawaiian shirt and strum your way through classics like Can't Help Falling in Love at the Ukulele Workshops; learn how to do 1950s hairstyles and make up; gather the mini-Elvii for a fun afternoon at the Kids Talent Workshops.
- Mark Andrew's Grease Show with Shelly Minson as Sandy.
- Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest. The preliminary round of the international Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest return, with top Elvis tribute artists from Australia and abroad battling it out at Parkes Leagues Club. The winner will represent Parkes in the semi-final round of the contest in Memphis, USA, during Elvis Week in August.
This year's festival theme is the 1966 film Frankie and Johnny, a classic Elvis hit in which The King played a Mississippi riverboat performer with a weakness for gambling.
For tickets to all Parkes Elvis Festival shows, head to parkeselvisfestival.com.au